Visions of the Jinn: Illustrators of the Arabian Nights

In this richly-illustrated book, illustrations of various Western editions of The Arabian Nights from the eighteenth to the twentieth century are presented and analysed. Visions of the Jinn is simultaneously a closely-focused study of a special case in the history of book illustration, an account of the evolution of an important strand of visual fantasy and a presentation of a hitherto neglected area of Orientalism. Some of the artists - Dulac, Dore, Brangwyn - are famous. Many others, such as Coster or Letchford, are almost totally unknown. In the course of the book, the discussion also reveals much about the visual discovery of the Near East in modern times. This volume will make an important contribution both to the history of book illustration and, more generally, to the history of the book.

Formerly a lecturer in the Mediaeval History Department of the University of St Andrews, Robert Irwin is a writer, critic, editor and broadcaster. He has published six novels, as well as nine non-fiction books dealing with Middle Eastern culture, including The Arabian Nights: A Companion (1994). He has also edited the Penguin edition of Malcolm Lyons’ translation of The Arabian Nights (2009). He has travelled extensively in the Arab lands. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. He is also the Director of a publishing company and an editor at The Times Literary Supplement.